The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness – Final book in All Souls Trilogy (Audiobook Review)

I know it may seem strange to write this review of the third book of the All Souls Trilogy today, but it occurred to me, it’s not so out of place as I at first thought. This trilogy has been about preconceived notions, misconceptions, love, duty to family, acceptance, tolerance, and faith. When I looked at this way, then it made perfect sense.

The Book of Life is a mystery we all want answers to – witch, vampire, demon, and human – where do we come from. Though the focus of this book is on the first three, creatures, the point is made.

With 10 hours left in the book, I wondered why I wasn’t already finished and realized I was invested in the lives of these characters. I was the human looking into their lives and understanding through their struggles, strife, joys, happiness, wonderings, and wanderings. But, then I realized this Book of Life was like life. It is an unfinished story.

Before I go on, you probably won’t be surprised to realize I recommend this book and encourage you to read all three. This is an epic tale. And as I mentioned in a previous review, this audiobook would not have had such an impact with the stellar performance of its narrator, Jennifer Ikeda. I’m still blown away by how she can give each and every character their own voice.

This book is the culmination of choices made long before the present day and shows how far some repercussions can reverberate. Think of it like skipping rocks – the little rocks still make wide ripples, but the bigger rocks fill up the lake with ripples. Which rock are you skipping into the lake of life?

I won’t dig too deep in regarding this so that when I do finish it, I’ll be able to do a much more thorough review. But as we enter the time of rebirth, I thought a touch on this book might give us something to think about as the snows melt away and life returns to the Earth.

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